delicate threads of existence (joining to form a tapestry)
by cyclothimic
Summary: tumblr prompt fill: 'I just tried jumping over my couch yelling 'Parkour' and I tripped and busted my window, stop laughing please' l follow-up to 'she glides away like a ghost'


**okay, so i'm pretty sure this was meant to be a fluff prompt, but i turned it angsty because it's the only thing i know how to do. this is a follow-up piece to _she glides away like a ghost_ , and you have to read that to understand this. **

**also, i'm sorry. :)**

 **now read, ponder, and...enjoy?**

* * *

Boxes. So many boxes. Boxes filled with Lena's things. Boxes filled with memories she shared with Lena. Boxes that she had to bring to the storage container that she had rented. Boxes that she had held up on filling for one year. Boxes that reminded her that Lena was gone – _still_ gone – and never coming back no matter how hard Kara wished for it.

There was one more box that she had to fill out with this one last thing before she had to close it, tape it, and then bring it to the storage container with the rest of them.

Kara sat on the couch, playing with the glass piece in her hand, not willing to let it go. The fragment was part of the window in Lena's old penthouse, the window that Kara had broken because apparently Lena had become her impulse control in an unidentifiable point in their growing friendship. That window was the turning point of their friendship into something more.

Lena had taken a photo of that broken window and framed it. Now, the photo was still sitting in the study; Kara wasn't willing to let that photo go. She wasn't willing to let this glass fragment go either. As a matter of fact, she wanted to unpack all those boxes sitting by the door right now, just so she could be reminded that Lena was once her wife.

She dug her finger into the edge of fragment, and no blood came, because she was a superhero with alien traits.

And her wife was human.

* * *

They were friends. They were best friends. They were best friends who had lunch dates and dinner dates and team up on game nights and win game nights. They were best friends who had the keys to each other's places. Best friends did that.

"No, Kara, best friends do not," Alex had told her with an affectionate smile and eye roll.

Well, Alex may often be right, but she wasn't _always_ right.

Kara had just finished work and didn't feel like going home, so she decided to go to the next best place: Lena's penthouse. The CEO had gotten tired of having to open the door for her from her frequent visits, so one day during one of their lunch dates, Lena just offered Kara a key and told her to use the key anytime she wanted, even if she wasn't at home.

"Listen, if I have to get out of bed and open the door for you one more time, I will ban you from my place," Lena had said, urging her to take the key.

When Kara walked through the lobby of Lena's building, the security – George – would only smile and nod at her, and then thank her for the bagels. Yeah, so maybe Kara had been showing up a lot, but that was what best friends did.

Kara used the key, and the penthouse was quiet as she entered. Lena wasn't home yet. The reporter huffed a frustrated sigh in the general direction of the L-Corp building, dropping her purse on the couch and collapsing on it. Snapper had been relentless since last month, going after each and every one of her drafts and making her write about ten drafts of the same stories, and she was too scared to ask why.

When she brought it up with James, the man had only smiled and told her that Snapper just wanted his protégé to be perfect. While she felt flattered that Snapper considered her a protégé, she wasn't sure if she wanted to be when she often went home bone tired, with barely any energy left to perform her Supergirl duties.

She raised her fist into her eye line, uncurled her fingers, and contemplated the key that she had attached to her keychain. It was just a key, of course, but it was a key that led to Lena's house. Lena Luthor, the one person who had higher and tougher walls than anyone Kara had ever met, even Cat, gave _her_ a key to her home, and that must be saying something.

These emotions that rose up in her chest whenever she even _thought_ about Lena weren't unfounded. She had come to realize them that time when Lena came over to her apartment when she had a really bad day and tried to cheer her up, and without Lena even trying, Kara had somehow felt lighter just in the presence of the woman.

Upon that realization, she didn't do anything to change things. She kept on being Lena's shoulder to cry on, Lena's meal deliverer, and Lena's best friend, because that was what Lena needed right now. Also, Lena was the chairwoman of one of the most notorious corporations in the country, and Kara was just a reporter; there was no way it would end well.

The fact that Lena didn't only give her a key but also a drawer in her closet and foods that Kara loved was enough. It was enough that Lena considered her a true friend. It was enough that Lena let her in among everyone else.

Kara then stopped her pondering, changed into comfortable clothes, grabbed a tub of ice cream and spoon, and turned on the TV. _American Ninja Warrior_ was airing, and she promised Lena that she wouldn't watch _Suits_ without her, so she settled on watching people risking their lives with parkour.

Somehow, she ended up standing up on her feet and cheering on the woman doing the tricks on screen. And then at one point, she jumped over the couch in an attempt to copy the woman.

"Parkour!" she yelled in excitement.

And because she was a true klutz, she toppled over the back of the couch ungracefully, her legs knocked into the window, and it broke into scatters of glass.

She stared at the empty pane with horror. Oh Rao, Lena was going to really ban her from her the house now.

"Oh my god."

She rolled onto her front and saw Lena standing at the door, gaping at both her and the gap of space that used to be a window. Shit. Quickly, she scrambled onto her feet, ignoring the glasses sticking into her foot – she wasn't going to get hurt anyway.

"Lena!" she said, her voice high-pitched with nerves. "Hi!" She turned to the empty space and then back to the CEO. "I can – um – I'm sorry?" She winced. "I can replace it." Fuck, how much did the window cost? Kara would probably have to pay half of her annual salary to replace it.

The raven haired woman took in the scene in front of her, her gaze traveling from Kara to the window to the television playing _American Ninja Warrior_ – the woman succeeded and was now jumping with joy – and then back to Kara. And then, she burst into laughter, actually bending over her waist with her hand on her stomach as she cackled.

For a moment, Kara just reveled in it. One did not get to hear Lena laugh often, not even Kara. And then she realized that Lena was laughing at her expense, so she frowned and huffed, stomping one foot.

"Stop laughing," she complained. Lena only laughed harder. She groaned. " _Lena_."

Lena just shook her head, rose upright, and put her hand to her mouth to muffle her laughter. "Oh god, Kara, I love you," she revealed.

Kara froze. "What?"

And then Lena froze as well, her laughter stopping in abruption. She stared at Kara with wide eyes, running her fingers through her hair. "Fuck, I shouldn't have said that," she muttered, looking away from Kara. They were stuck there for a long while, with only the sounds of the city nightlife to fill in the gaps of silence. "Well, I guess it's out in the open now," Lena then said, shattering the silence that window that Kara had just broken; she was smiling at Kara with melancholy. "You can go if you want. I won't blame you. Don't worry about the window; it's nothing."

"Can you say that again?"

Lena paused in her movements of removing her coat. "What?"

Kara shuffled on her feet, ignoring the glasses digging in. "I – I want you to say it again. Please," she added.

The raven haired woman scratched her forehead, swallowing. "I love you, Kara." And that was that. She was never a woman of many words anyway; Kara didn't blame her.

The blonde shuffled over to Lena, picking out the glasses stuck in her foot as she went. When she was finally in front of the woman, she was glass-piece-free and full of love. Slowly, she raised her hands and cupped Lena's cheeks gently. She made sure that Lena was looking into her eyes, because Alex had always told her that her eyes told everyone everything. A slow smile spread across her lips. "I love you too," she whispered.

Lena's demeanor was outwardly nervous, also proven by her speeding heartbeat underneath her chest. "You don't have to –"

"I love you," Kara interjected, moving closer. "I've been in love with you for – I don't know, just a long time. And I was never brave enough to tell you, because I've never…I've never felt like I'm enough for you, you know. You're _you_ and I'm just me. But –" Kara shrugged "– I love you."

"Oh, Kara," Lena breathed.

The alien's hands slipped down to smooth curves of Lena's sides, pulling her in, and she smiled wider when Lena naturally slung her arms around Kara's neck. Her face bent down to Lena's in slow motion, still bating and waiting for Lena to push her way, but when she didn't, her mouth closed over Lena's, and it was like the dream blurred into reality.

It was happening.

She did not have to wonder about what kissing Lena felt like anymore, because she was feeling it. And, _wow_. Everything set into place and melded into one another, only they were two solid beings – two people kissing each other for the first time. And Kara wanted more.

When she finally pulled away, Lena shuddered, breathing against Kara's skin. It was warm. She rested her forehead against Kara's, smiling slightly.

"Thank you for breaking my window," she said with a laugh.

Kara laughed as well. "I've never been more grateful that I'm a klutz."

And she leaned forward again.

* * *

"You did this, you know."

Kara drew out of her memories and looked up. Maggie was leaning against the door, her hand wrapped around the knob, and her gaze wandering the space that once belonged to her _and_ Lena. There was a pleased smile across her face, mixed with a hint despondence.

"I did what?" she asked in a quiet tone.

"I remember the first game night Lena hosted," Maggie began, pushing away from the door and heading towards her. She sat down next to Kara, gently taking the glass fragment from her hands. "Her penthouse was so empty. There was nothing that says _Lena_ , you know."

Kara remembered when she was appalled at the bareness of Lena's old penthouse. She almost wanted to cry at the emptiness of it all.

"And then you two moved in together, and she started having _things_. Just simple things, like pictures, books, journals, DVDs, and _you_." The detective nodded at the piles of boxes. "You made her have _things_."

Kara followed Maggie's gaze. The first thing she did when she started packing was to throw all of Lena's medical reports into a box. They were nothing good – they took her wife away from her. "It's not fair," she said.

Maggie hummed in agreement. "It's not. She deserved more." She shifted to face Kara. "Before she…went," Maggie hesitated, "she asked to see me. I think it was an hour before you went back to the DEO."

The blonde turned to her, frowning.

"I think she knew. She told me goodbye, said I was lucky to have found Alex, and told me to tell you something when I think that you're ready to hear it, because she knew Alex wouldn't be able to tell you," Maggie said. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "To be honest, I was really angry at her for asking me to do it, but I understand why. For this whole year, I've been keeping her words with me, gauging if you're ready, but I could see that you weren't. So for this entire year, I didn't tell anyone, not even Alex. This is something only meant for you."

"What did she tell you?" Kara wasn't even sure if she was ready – could she ever be ready? – but she was curious. What else could Lena have said before she imparted her last breath?

Maggie took a deep breath, wiping away at her eyes and clearing her throat. "She said: 'I'm never going to be able to tell Kara this; I won't have the time. So I need you to, and I'm sorry that I'm making you do this, but I don't think she can hear it from anyone else. I need you to tell Kara that it's okay. I'm happy. I've never been so happy. I never thought I could be so happy. I've lived for thirty years, and she made it worthwhile. She made _me_ worthwhile. I need you to tell her that the only regret I have is that I can't be here to spend more happy years with her, but the years we've had, they're enough. They're enough, Maggie. Tell her that I love her, I will always be with her, and that _it's okay_.'" Alex's wife remembered every single word that Lena had said, proving that she hadn't been able to stop thinking about it for the past year.

Kara felt sorry for her. She leaned forward to pull Maggie in for a hug. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, choking on her own tears. "I'm sorry, Maggie, that I put you through this."

Maggie nodded, burying her face in Kara's shoulder as she cried. Kara held her, allowing her to let out the emotions that she had been holding in for a year, all because Kara wasn't prepared to let Lena go.

Kara cried too. She shouldn't be in disbelief that Lena was able to stay happy after all that she had been through and she was able to give Kara those words – Lena was the strongest woman Kara had ever met – but she was. She couldn't believe that it took her this long for Maggie to see that she was ready to hear those words. She couldn't believe that even at the end, Lena was still thinking about her.

"I didn't know what she meant when she said it's okay," Maggie said when they pulled away from each other, holding each other's hands. "But I get it now." She gestured at the boxes filled with Lena's stuff.

They stared at the boxes for a long while. And then Kara took the fragment of glass that Maggie was still holding. "I'm keeping this," she said stubbornly.

Maggie nodded. "That's okay."

"Hey." They looked up, and Alex was occupying the space that Maggie was standing at just now. She was looking at them with concern. "You guys okay?"

Kara and Maggie turned to each other. Lena was the sister that Maggie didn't ask for but loved and cherished nonetheless. Lena was the sister-in-law that Alex was willing to punch people for if needed. Lena was the love of Kara's life, and that wouldn't ever change, and Kara would never be able to fully move on. Lena meant _something_ to everyone.

And she was now six feet under at the graveyard that Kara visited every weekend with fresh bouquets of plumerias.

But here's the thing, Lena went _happy_.

So, "Yeah, we're okay."

* * *

 **hello person who gave me this prompt, first of all, thank you cuz it's great! second of all, I AM SO SORRY**

 **you are fully allowed to rant at me on tumblr: overcanary. also, feel free to send me more prompts!**


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